Park Byeong-seok "Not a short-term issue... Must stop fasting and recover health"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is on the 12th day of his hunger strike, experienced a rapid deterioration in health to the extent that he missed a public party schedule on the 11th, but he reiterated that he has no intention of stopping the hunger strike.
On the 12th day of his hunger strike at the National Assembly, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is sitting at the tent protest site in front of the main building on the morning of the 11th. Lee was unable to attend the Supreme Council meeting held in the morning. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Lee did not attend the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly that morning. This is the first time he has missed a public party schedule since starting his indefinite hunger strike. After appearing at the prosecution on the 9th and undergoing an 11-hour investigation regarding the ‘Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance suspicion,’ Lee continued with party duties until the previous day. His health has rapidly worsened as the hunger strike prolonged, and his stamina appears to have sharply declined after the long hours of prosecution investigation. However, there are rumors that he is enduring without stopping the hunger strike amid criticism inside and outside the party labeling it a ‘shield hunger strike.’
A Democratic Party official said, "Lee’s health is very poor," adding, "Because he is the party leader, it seems he is enduring with superhuman strength to show a strong image." The official continued, "He absolutely did not want to be seen lying down, but today his body could no longer hold up, so he lay down," and "His health condition is very bad to the point that he experiences chills even in the midday heat."
Within the party, voices are urging Lee to stop the hunger strike, citing his rapidly deteriorating stamina.
On the same day, former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Kim Young-joo, and senior lawmakers with four or more terms such as Seol Hoon and Ahn Min-seok visited Lee and urged him to stop the hunger strike.
Former Speaker Park said, "I believe that through the 12 days of hunger strike, Lee’s intentions have been widely recognized by the public," and added, "Since these are not issues that can be resolved in a short period, the senior lawmakers strongly urge him to stop the hunger strike and recover his health."
However, Lee responded, "It seems the regime’s focus is solely on violent exercise of power itself, and they have no interest at all in the most essential tasks that power should pursue, such as people’s livelihood, economy, peace, and safety," and said, "If this stance does not change, the opposition’s work will be too limited. No matter what we say, frankly, it’s like it doesn’t even reach their ears..."
Former Speaker Park reiterated the call to stop the hunger strike, saying, "This is not a problem that can be solved in a short time and requires a mid- to long-term approach, so health must be restored to cope with it." Lee replied, "I will take it to heart and make a careful and prudent judgment."
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